Re: Still driving?
f the person inside (no longer the driver) has no mechanical linkage to the brakes, then the car really must have a failsafe method of applying the brakes in a power-fail emergency.
Thinking about this problem a bit, and knowing how it's implemented in trains, I think the following should work (provided the actual braking system is hydraulic, like in conventional cars, c.f. Eddy Ito's comment on mechanical steering linkage still being a DOT requirement): a small reservoir holding compressed air is connected to a cylinder via an electrically-powered normally-open valve. This pneumatic cylinder is linked to the master brake cylinder. As long as the valve is powered, it's closed; when the power fails the valve opens, the pneumatic cylinder presses down on the master brake cylinder, and the car should stop.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
